A different man named Alex Hamilton who was a British broadcaster used the saying in 1978. So he has a hand in making our lives better but not worse? As almost all of you know, a week ago last Monday night, driving in a terrible storm, my son Alexander who to his friends was a real day-brightener, and to his family fair as a star when only one is shining in the sky my twenty-four-year-old Alexander, who enjoyed beating his old man at every game and in every race, beat his father to the grave. That clarifies the sight I read someone say recently that this is only a training ground for eternity. and Yale Divinity School. I also know this day-brightener of a son wouldn't wish to be held close by grief (nor, for that matter, would any but the meanest of our beloved departed) and that, interestingly enough, when I mourn Alex least I see him best. You blew it. The one thing that should never be said when someone dies is It is the will of God. Never do we know enough to say that. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. You gave me what God gives all of us minimum protection, maximum support. William Sloane Coffin. You will also find a collection of his prayers that concluded many of his sermons. William Sloane Coffin Jr. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. (born 1924) was a Yale University chaplain who spoke out against the Vietnam War and was indicted as a criminal by the United States government for conspiring to aid young men to avoid the military draft.. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born to considerable wealth and social position on June 1, 1924, in New York City. So if you want to know where God is in this or in anything, look for love., Your email address will not be published. This is the eighth year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. William Sloane Coffin Jr., a Presbyterian minister and social activist who was an outspoken leader of the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s and '70s, died Wednesday at his . And of course I know, even when pain is deep, that God is good. Didn't the eagle find a fresh liver to tear in Prometheus every time it dined?". I know all the right biblical passages, including Blessed are those who mourn, and my faith is no house of rest, came from fellow reverends, a few of whom proved they knew their cards; these passages are true, I know. I'm always puzzled at these Moslem women who wail like Banshees when their terrorist sons are killed as what they believe to be martyrs. Seems a good deal for him - get all the praise when things go our way but none of the blame when things go wrong due to no fault of our own. Ill say you dont, lady! I said. When sorrow walked with me. My own broken heart is mending, and largely thanks to so many of you, my dear parishioners; for if in the last week I have relearned one lesson, it is that love not only begets love, it transmits strength. So I shall so let us all seek consolation in that love which never dies, and find peace in the dazzling grace that always is. William Sloane Coffin's Eulogy for Alex Ten days after his son, Alex, was killed in a car accident, Reverend William Sloane Coffin delivered this sermon to his congregation at Riverside Church in New York City. (There's words for everything else.) what do you say? Bill Coffin was such a man. That's why immediately after such a tragedy people must come to your rescue, people who only want to hold your hand, not to quote anybody or even say anything, people who simply bring food and flowers the basics of beauty and life people who sign letters simply, "Your brokenhearted sister." Lewis wrote, They say the coward dies many times; so does the beloved. Something I wrestle with is the balance between pastoral presence and prophetic witness as a minister. William Sloane Coffin, Jr., (born June 1, 1924, New York, New York, U.S.died April 12, 2006, Strafford, Vermont, U.S.), American clergyman and civil rights activist who achieved national prominence as the chaplain (1958-75) at Yale University, where he became a familiar figure on campus, championing civil rights and opposing the Vietnam War. How are you able to look at the world as it is and still have the capacity for feeling joyful? I mentioned the healing flood of letters. That is what makes the valley of the shadow of death seem so incredibly dark and unending. After the death of his wife, C.S. 54 quotes from William Sloane Coffin: 'Love measures our stature: the more we love, the bigger we are. And set you at your threshold down, Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death, Joan Halifax, Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs and Communicatoins of the Dying, How Can I Help? If we (me included) could only get a fraction of a grasp between the difference between time and eternity we would cling much less to time and be closer to God's perspective. I know. The Coffin award is given in honor of the life and ministry of William Sloane Coffin, former Chaplain to the University and one of the 20th century's most significant religious leaders. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. Download free, high-quality (4K) pictures and wallpapers featuring William Sloane Coffin, Jr. He attended Deerfield Academy and Phillips Academy Andover before beginning his studies at Yale University in 1942. The cause of violence is not ignorance. My own consolation lies in knowing that it was not the will of God that Alex die; that when the waves closed over the sinking car, Gods heart was the first of all our hearts to break. So while trite, it's true: I walked a mile with Pleasure, "Eulogy for Alex" by William Sloane Coffin Q: I'm interested in the distinction between a speech and a sermon. While he was a student, my father heard the feisty William Coffin preach as a young chaplain at Yale. Then a miracle working preacher comes to town promising at midnight, all the dead will rise from boot hill and come back to life. And find unwithered on its curls Thought he was omnipotent and omnipresent. Below you will find one of my favorite sermons "Preached from the Piano Bench" at Riverside Church. This reflects what that discomfort is and so nice to read it was written by a Reverend. Some will even argue that God has a purpose in allowing the accident and will use this tragedy to provoke moral growth in the world (though one hopes that this explanation will not be offered in the hearing of any grieving family members). Bill Coffin flourished here, in the cracked common clay of an earthly and earthy life. More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world. (Lord Byron). This page has been archived and is no longer updated. The Collected Sermons of William Sloane Coffin By William Sloane Coffin Book Review An impressive collection of sermons by William Sloan Coffin delivered from 1977 to 1982. Letters to a Young Doubter By William Sloane Coffin Book Review Letters by the inimitable Christian progressive on faith, doubt, Jesus, and the insanities of a world awash . I read through this with utter esteem for the sentiments therein and Will is right to say that those who speak in response to a tragedy like this they could learn much from this eulogy, which said it all, so very very well. When she saw me, she shook her head, then headed for the kitchen, saying sadly over her shoulder, I just dont understand the will of God. Instantly I was up and in hot pursuit, swarming all over her. We have to be forced down. by Rev. COFFIN: What this country needs, what I think God wants us to do, is not practice piecemeal charity but engage in wholesale justice. is the blossom. I walked a mile with Sorrow Did you perhaps mistake me for someone else?? Another consolation, of course, will be the learning which better be good, given the price. Cars skid out of control on icy roads, healthy cells are consumed by cancerous ones. The garland briefer than a girls. This is the ninth year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. RN: What about the Educational system as it relates to democracy? The night after Alex died I was sitting in the living room of my sisters house outside of Boston, when the front door opened and in came a nice-looking, middle-aged woman, carrying about eighteen quiches. Houseman, To an Athlete Dying Young. And I wept and I wept. To-day, the road all runners come, 5 Quotes. In my case on the death of my wife they were summed up well in a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay entitled Dirge without Music. RN: Any comparisons between the domestic opposition to the Iraq War/Occupation with the domestic opposition to the Vietnam War? William Sloane Coffin Jr., a former Yale University chaplain who gained national attention as an opponent of the Vietnam war, died Tuesday in a car . Than by a wick that stays. When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. So I shall so let us all seek consolation in that love which never dies, and find peace in the dazzling grace that always is. These are some of the popular topics this blog covers. This is beautiful!!! What is the religious challenge at our universities? The older I get, the more I accept that death is the inevitable consequence of life, why can't believers? But the things I learned from her This is the seventh year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. Until one has personally experienced the loss of a loved one, one can not understand the feelings about the death both positive and negative. Which is not to say that there are no nature-caused deaths I can think of many right here in this parish in the five years I've been here deaths that are untimely and slow and pain-ridden, which for that reason raise unanswerable questions, and even the specter of a Cosmic Sadist yes, even an Eternal Vivisector. Only reverance can restrain violence - reverance for human life and the environment. Why? The Rev. William Sloane Coffin Jr. was an American Christian clergyman and long-time peace activist. #Ignorance #Self #Violence. I know all the right biblical passages, including Blessed are those who mourn, and my faith is no house of rest, came from fellow reverends, a few of whom proved they knew their cards; these passages are true, I know. T he Rev. There's something in the flight Not because our diverse readership will agree with all of its theological underpinnings, but because I think it offers wise advice on what to say (and not say) when someone dies tragically, a poignant window on the human experience, and a lesson in the art of effective rhetoric(hence why we were discussing it in a communications class). COFFIN: No. This is the second year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. So. Rev. so if God doesnt will these things to happen, why does he let them happen? God is dead set against all unnatural deaths. He liked it here. "The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love." --- William Sloane Coffin. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love, It withers quicker than the rose. To them Western attitudes would be incomprehensible. Q: You preached that wonderful sermon after your son's death, and there were some ideas in there about what is "God's will.". Well compared to heaven isn't all of life suffering? Alex, as he was called, was killed in a car accident in 1983 when he was only. That is what makes the valley of the shadow of death seem so incredibly dark and unending. Thats why immediately after such a tragedy people must come to your rescue, people who only want to hold your hand, not to quote anybody or even say anything, people who simply bring food and flowers the basics of beauty and life people who sign letters simply, Your brokenhearted sister. In other words, in my intense grief I felt some of my fellow reverends not many, and none of you, thank God were using comforting words of Scripture for self-protection, to pretty up a situation whose bleakness they simply couldnt face. He became famous while at Yale in the 1960s for his opposition to the Vietnam War. BTW, anonymous was I ere I saw Suomynona WTB, but I'm sure you guessed that right away. Q: As you look back on everything you've done in your wonderful life, what are you most proud of? Is that so hard to understand? My own broken heart is mending, and largely thanks to so many of you, my dear parishioners; for if in the last week I have relearned one lesson, it is that love not only begets love, it transmits strength. I'm not a believer but at least I appreciate when people demonstrate that they actually believe in what they say they do. Q: What's the essential connection for you between religious faith and justice? An Eulogy for Alex In his younger days he was an athlete, a talented pianist, a CIA officer, and later chaplain of Yale University, where the influence of H. Richard Niebuhr . After the tsunami, some Moslem clerics said it was god's punishment for their sins. You can purchase one, four, seven sermons, or you can purchase the whole year or "album". She chattered all the way; In a prideful way it would be easier to walk the valley alone, nobly, head high, instead of as we must marching as the latest recruit in the worlds army of the bereaved. Yes, but at least, "My God, my God"; and the psalm only begins that way, it doesn't end that way. He was ordained in the Presbyterian church and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ. When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. Among the healing flood of letters that followed his death was one carrying this wonderful quote from the end of Hemingways A Farewell to Arms: The world breaks everyone, then some become strong at the broken places.. and what an inspiring Eulogy by William Sloane Coffin concerning his Son and his Faith. This is the first year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. But was he a criminal? It is self-interest. What is happiness? And the wise man said, Happiness is when the grandfather dies, and then the father, and then the son. That is on the money. And home we brought you shoulder-high. And read the poems. ABERNETHY: Coffin rails at neglect of the poor and U.S. policies in Iraq. But the things I learned from her And his body was too badly damaged in the accident for his soul to stay in it anymore, and so he died. First you leap, and then you grow wings., It is often said that the Church is a crutch. I agree about the need for silence regarding those grieving. But left me none the wiser William Sloane Coffin gave what would be his final sermon at Chautauqua. ABERNETHY: As he conducts what he calls his lover's quarrel with his country, Coffin acknowledges that he has to be careful not to become self-righteous himself -- perhaps especially when he is honored, as he is often. William Sloane Coffin, who died Wednesday at the age of 81 of congestive heart failure, was known as a civil rights activist and outspoken critic of the Vietnam War. Cannot see the record cut, But I'm an atheist. We only recommend products we genuinely like, and purchases made through our links support our mission and the free content we publish here on AoM. The fleet foot on the sill of shade, ABERNETHY: I asked Coffin to think back on the civil rights and other protest movements he helped lead. Crowned with lilies and Laurel they go; but I am not resigned. Theres such wisdom in these words that Ive found it bears re-reading from time to time. When its true and painful, say it softly, None of us have the right to avert our gaze. This is the sixth year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. --Robert Browning Hamilton. At Riverside, the profession of faith is "Jesus is Lord." And the folks in Riverside Church had to know whether or not they still had a pastor. Another consolation, of course, will be the learning which better be good, given the price. Q: We've been talking about a lot of big problems. And Christ spent an inordinate amount of time delivering people from paralysis, insanity, leprosy, and muteness. The Rev William Sloane Coffin A radical preacher and antiwar activist, he took on the American establishment Christopher Reed Thu 13 Apr 2006 19.04 EDT The upbringing of William Sloane. The scripture reading for each sermon can be found below in PDF format. And I wept and I wept. I swear to you, I wouldn't be standing here were I not upheld. Why are they unhappy if they think he is in paradise with 72 virgins or are they just feeling sorry for themselves? This is the last year of the complete 10 year collection of sermons. BBC 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. William Sloane Coffin Jr., a United Church of Christ minister known globally for his peace and justice advocacy, died April 12 at his home in rural Strafford, Vermont. Individual prayers and sermons can be purchased by clicking the cart icon next to each prayer or sermon title. If a week ago last Monday, a lamp went out, it was because, for him at least, the Dawn had come. This album is a collection of prayers from the end of the sermons; 1977-1979. The Theology of William Sloane Coffin Thursday, February 15, 2007 Eulogy for Alex Ten days after his son, Alex, was killed in a car accident, Reverend William Sloane Coffin delivered this sermon to his congregation at Riverside Church in New York City. Thanks for posting this. But if anyone dare speak in response to this tragic accident, they could learn much from William Sloane Coffin, the American justice activist who died last year, about what not to say to someone whose heart is breaking. John Wright #5 This invaluable anthology is the first and only collection dedi This eulogy from William Sloane Coffin following the death of his son offers words of wisdom and hope for those struggling with the tragedy in Connecticut. So I shall so let us all seek consolation in that love which never dies, and find peace in the dazzling grace that always is. "I'll say you don't, lady!" But assuming they did, if they hadn't (it was supposed to be god's plan all along) there would be no Christian religion and no savior who died to save everyone else. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. He was 81. . O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. So, I wrote the sermon about it. Q: Why do you think that is, in the country as a whole? And that's what happens to the horror of all those townsfolk. Q: What should we be mindful of when we make defense policy? It is self-interest. The prayers are presented in several multi-year collections. Coffin on defense issues from the Center for Defense Information; Read Coffin's eulogy for his son Alex; Relive the past with Rev. Continue the suffering of living in preference to going to heaven just so you'll have their company around. Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind; As his younger brother put it simply, standing at the head of the casket at the Boston funeral, You blew it, buddy. But I do not approve. I also know this day-brightener of a son wouldnt wish to be held close by grief (nor, for that matter, would any but the meanest of our beloved departed) and that, interestingly enough, when I mourn Alex least I see him best. Gracious God, whose own Son's term of service to humanity was so full that its brevity was no distress, we call to mind on this Memorial Sunday those "who will not grow old as we who are left to grow old," those whose lives were too brief for us but long enough, perhaps, for thee. Wind your head in John!! And decks the rays. It just happened. William Sloane Coffin. Tony Campolo retells an incident involving William Sloane Coffin following the death of his son, Alexander. Q: Many of us say, "Well, you know, I've got to work hard to support my family, I don't have a lot of time," or "I don't want to seem radical," or "I don't want to cause my neighbors to suspect I'm not fully patriotic." William Crawley | 12:42 UK time, Friday, 27 July 2007. William Sloane Coffin was a man with a wild career: he fought in World War II, worked for the CIA after the war, became a "man of the cloth", was thrown in jail as a civil rights marcher with Dr. Martin Luther King, and was an academic, author, and an activist. Legendary William Sloane Coffin's years at the historic Riverside Church captured in new two-volume collection Louisville, KY-From 1977 through 1987 William Sloane Coffin was the Senior Minister at t . Jim Antal, a Norwich resident who advises the president of the national United Church of Christ on climate change, will deliver the inaugural William Sloane . William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. In other words, in my intense grief I felt some of my fellow reverends not many, and none of you, thank God were using comforting words of Scripture for self-protection, to pretty up a situation whose bleakness they simply couldn't face. But oh, the things I learned from her They are gone. Coffin to his congregation at the Riverside Church in New York City. William Sloane Coffin. William Sloane Coffin Heart, Optimistic, Independent 64 Copy quote To show compassion for an individual without showing concern for the structures of society that make him an object of compassion is to be sentimental rather than loving. In a prideful way it would be easier to walk the valley alone, nobly, head high, instead of as we must marching as the latest recruit in the worlds army of the bereaved. As for the theological issues, I agree with William on the need for respectful silence. Man and boy stood cheering by, As the grief that once seemed unbearable begins to turn now to bearable sorrow, the truths in the right biblical passages are beginning, once again, to take hold: Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall strengthen thee; Weeping may endure for the night but joy cometh in the morning; Lord, by thy favor thou hast made my mountain to stand strong; For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling; In this world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world; The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. And finally I know that when Alex beat me to the grave, the finish line was not Boston Harbor in the middle of the night. Have a think about the bigger picture!! Of late there have been a few deaths of former classmates or their spouses and what has struck me is how often God is at the helm of these deaths. Read more. A Eulogy for Alex Editor's note: Ten days after his son, Alex, drove off a bridge and was killed in a car accident, Reverend William Sloane Coffin delivered the following sermon to his congregation at Riverside Church in New York City. William Sloane Coffin Jr. in 1986. I know that. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. My own consolation lies in knowing that it was not the will of God that Alex die; that when the waves closed over the sinking car, God's heart was the first of all our hearts to break. When you scroll down this page you will find all of Bill's Riverside sermons organized by year. Updated February 2023. When she saw me, she shook her head, then headed for the kitchen, saying sadly over her shoulder, "I just don't understand the will of God." 18 Sourced Quotes. Eyes the shady night has shut Thursday, February 15, 2007. There is no god!! God did not bash the truck into your fathers car. W. & J. Sloane was a furniture and rug store in New York City that catered to the wealthy. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born on June 1, 1924, in New York City to William Sloane Coffin, Sr. and Catherine Butterfield Coffin. MOYERS: Youre not supposed to outlive your children, are you? Why aren't people in the streets today the way they were in the civil rights movement, the antiwar movement? Thats why immediately after such a tragedy people must come to your rescue, people who only want to hold your hand, not to quote anybody or even say anything, people who simply bring food and flowers the basics of beauty and life people who sign letters simply, Your brokenhearted sister. In other words, in my intense grief I felt some of my fellow reverends not many, and none of you, thank God were using comforting words of Scripture for self-protection, to pretty up a situation whose bleakness they simply couldnt face. The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love. Here If You Need Me by Kate Braestrup is the autobiography of the chaplain for the Maine game warden who herself was widowed with four young children when her husband a state trooper was killed in a car accident. As the . I said. I'm puzzled by all of this. Download. And that's what hundreds of you understood so beautifully. William Sloane Coffin also wrote about this in his eulogy for his son, Alex, who was killed in a car accident at age 24. This is the seventh year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born to considerable wealth and social position on June 1, 1924, in New York City. Rev. Editor's note: Ten days after his son, Alex, drove off a bridge and was killed in a car accident, Reverend William Sloane Coffin delivered the following sermon to his congregation at Riverside Church in New York City. Love without criticism is a kind of betrayal. Q: It must make you terribly frustrated to see all the things you think are wrong and not being righted, and not be able to play the part in leading those movements that you once did. Lewis wrote, They say the coward dies many times; so does the beloved. Townsman of a stiller town. I was reminded today of this beautiful eulogy by the late William Sloane Coffin for his 24-year-old son, Alex, and I wanted to share it with you. William Sloane Coffin served as chaplain of Yale University and Williams College, was senior minister of Riverside Church, and is President Emeritus of SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global Security. The Rev. Shoulder-high we bring you home, All rights reserved. The title of the sermon is "Alex's Death" and it comes on the heals of Rev. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. Why would someone grieve for a loved one who is in heaven or in paradise. Rev. There are a lot of excuses that people give for not participating more in the kinds of things that you used to lead. Will was tyring to elicit thoughts about the whole concept of a god's will. Rev. The reality of grief is the absence of God My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The reality of grief is the solitude of pain, the feeling that your heart is in pieces, your minds a blank, that there is no joy the world can give like that it takes away. (Lord Byron). But . Q: Many, many religious conservatives read the same Scripture that you do and come out very differently on social issues. ABERNETHY: In our conversation, Coffin quoted words he liked, words he attributed to Irenaeus, an early church father: "The glory of God is a human being fully alive." Rev. We chaired you through the market-place; And round that early-laurelled head 25 He was a director, and later vice-president of W. & J. Sloane Company, his family's business, which was founded by his grandfather, William Sloane, from Kilmarnock, Scotland. And Christ spent an inordinate amount of time delivering people from paralysis, insanity, leprosy, and muteness. It all makes me wonder if its not a matter of God willing or letting, but more like the laws of nature. Rev. ashington, Jan. 5--Five men, including Dr. Benjamin Spock, the author and pediatrician, and the Rev. Is good his prayers that concluded many of his sermons Lord with me, and then william sloane coffin eulogy for alex father, muteness. 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You gave me what God gives all of us have the right avert! Hamilton who was a British broadcaster used the saying in 1978 and long-time peace activist the pulpit of complete. Look at the world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but truth too! Respectful silence with William on the need for respectful silence and U.S. policies in Iraq bash truck.

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